Tuesday, November 28

Tag: Elon Musk

Virgin Galactic launches fifth commercial flight to sub-orbital space and back
Science

Virgin Galactic launches fifth commercial flight to sub-orbital space and back

Planetary scientist Alan Stern, who spearheaded NASA's New Horizons mission to Pluto, enjoyed a spaceflight of his own Thursday, soaring to the edge of space and back aboard Virgin Galactic's winged spaceplane, chalking up the company's fifth commercial sub-orbital flight.Stern, researcher and STEM "influencer" Kellie Gerardi, Italian investment manager Ketty Maisonrouge, two Virgin Galactic pilots and a company trainer were carried aloft by a carrier jet that released the Unity spaceplane at an altitude of about 44,700 feet above the New Mexico desert. The hybrid motor powering Virgin Galactic's Unity spaceplane ignites high above New Mexico Thursday, propelling the craft to the lower edge of space in the company's tenth sub-orbital flight out of the discernible atmosphe...
With launch license in hand, SpaceX plans second test flight of Starship rocket Saturday
Science

With launch license in hand, SpaceX plans second test flight of Starship rocket Saturday

SpaceX's huge Super Heavy-Starship rocket will now take its second test flight Saturday, when the company will attempt to boost the unpiloted Starship upper stage into space for the first time, the company announced. The launch had been cleared for Friday but Chief Executive Elon Musk said a piece of flight control hardware needed replacing."We need to replace a grid fin actuator, so launch is postponed to Saturday," Musk wrote on social media platform X on Thursday.After weeks of anticipation, the Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday granted SpaceX the required launch license, clearing the way for liftoff nearly seven months after the rocket suffered multiple failures and blew itself up during its maiden flight in April. Since then, SpaceX has i...
South Park is hailed for mocking Disney over entertainment giant’s incessant woke pandering that has been blamed for multiple box office flops
Entertainment

South Park is hailed for mocking Disney over entertainment giant’s incessant woke pandering that has been blamed for multiple box office flops

The animated show South Park has been hailed for slamming Disney and Star Wars' incessant woke pandering in their latest special.'Joining the Panderverse', which aired on Paramount+ Friday, lobbed satirical grenades at the Hollywood film studios over their politically-correct casting.Eric Cartman, who is a white child in the show, gets replaced by a black woman - sparking fury among his friends Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, and Kenny McCormick.But when they question their school principal about the change, he tells them: 'If you boys don't think Eric can be a black woman then maybe the problem is you.'Elon Musk and Donald Trump Jr. were among those praising the show which won plaudits for slamming Prince Harry and Meghan Markle last season. The iconic long-running animated series So...
X, formerly Twitter, tests charging new users $1 a year to use basic features
Science

X, formerly Twitter, tests charging new users $1 a year to use basic features

Why Elon Musk wants to paywall X Why Elon Musk wants to paywall X, formerly known as Twitter 04:19 X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, announced Tuesday it is testing out a subscription model in which it will charge new users $1 a year to use basic features. The social media giant said it was launching its "Not a Bot" annual subscription method in New Zealand and the Philippines as a test run. Existing users will not be im...
100 Jewish leaders call out Elon Musk for antisemitism on X, formerly Twitter: “We have watched in horror”
Science

100 Jewish leaders call out Elon Musk for antisemitism on X, formerly Twitter: “We have watched in horror”

A group of 100 Jewish leaders, including some prominent rabbis and academics, released a public letter criticizing X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, and its owner Elon Musk for enabling a "new stage of antisemetic discourse." According to the letter, the group's concerns began with Musk's takeover of the site in October 2022. Musk has been criticized for allowing previously banned users back onto the platform, including Andrew Tate, Kanye West and some notorious neo-Nazi figures, and for reducing content moderation on the site. Musk — who has said he wants to promote "free speech" — has also floated the idea of removing the site's "block" feature. Musk has also shared multiple posts that the group described as antisemitic, and they noted he has liked or platformed oth...
Elon Musk suggests X will start charging all users “small monthly payment”
Science

Elon Musk suggests X will start charging all users “small monthly payment”

Senate hosts tech leaders for AI talks Senate hosts Elon Musk and other tech leaders for AI regulation talks 05:04 Elon Musk says X, formerly known as Twitter, is considering having its users pay a "small monthly payment" to use the social media platform. On Monday, Musk made the remarks during a livestreamed conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about artificial intelligence, saying the fee would be meant to keep bots off ...
Elon Musk says artificial intelligence needs “a referee” after tech titans meet with lawmakers
Science

Elon Musk says artificial intelligence needs “a referee” after tech titans meet with lawmakers

The nation's biggest technology executives on Wednesday loosely endorsed the idea of government regulations for artificial intelligence at an unusual closed-door meeting in the U.S. Senate. But there is little consensus on what regulation would look like, and the political path for legislation is difficult.Executives attending the meeting included Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Meta's Mark Zuckerberg, former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates and Google CEO Sundar Pichai. Musk said the meeting "might go down in history as being very important for the future of civilization."First, though, lawmakers have to agree on whether to regulate, and how. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who organized the private forum on Capitol Hill as part of a push to legislate artificial int...
Walter Isaacson on Elon Musk: “It’s almost like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”
Science

Walter Isaacson on Elon Musk: “It’s almost like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”

Whether you love Elon Musk or despise him, you have to admit he's interesting. As he himself stated while hosting "Saturday Night Live" in 2021, "I reinvented electric cars and I'm sending people to Mars on a rocket ship. Did you think I was also going to be a chill, normal dude?"Walter Isaacson has written biographies of Ben Franklin, Albert Einstein and Steve Jobs, and this coming week CBS' sister company, Simon & Schuster, will publish his biography of Elon Musk. "You just have to say, 'I want to talk to you about Elon Musk,' and boom! People love talking," Isaacson said. Simon & Schuster When asked what kind of access he had to Musk, he replied, "I said, 'I wan...
Meet Apollo, the humanoid robot that could be your next coworker
Science

Meet Apollo, the humanoid robot that could be your next coworker

Contrary to doomsayers' predictions, robots have yet to become our overlords — but they could soon become our coworkers. That's the goal of electronics maker Apptronik, creator of Apollo, a mass-producible humanoid robot. The droid, which was unveiled in August, is designed to work seamlessly alongside humans in warehouses and manufacturing plants, taking up hard-to-fill jobs at companies grappling with labor shortages, the company said in a statement. "We believe that Apollo is one of the most advanced tools humanity has ever created — how we apply it will change the way that we live and work," Jeff Cardenas, co-founder and CEO of Apptronik, said in a statement.  Apollo, a humanoid robot, carries a box in a warehouse.  ...
Elon Musk says his fight against Mark Zuckerberg will stream on X — but Zuck claps back
Science

Elon Musk says his fight against Mark Zuckerberg will stream on X — but Zuck claps back

Two of the world's most famous and polarizing tech billionaires are again saying they will go head-to-head in a fight. Elon Musk, who owns the site formerly known as Twitter, now rebranded as X, and Mark Zuckerberg, the head of Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta, took to their social media platforms to share details about the potential face-off."Zuck v Musk fight will be live-streamed on 𝕏. All proceeds will go to charity for veterans," Musk wrote on X on Sunday.Zuckerberg replied with some shade on Threads, Meta's new competitor to Twitter/X: "Shouldn't we use a more reliable platform that can actually raise money for charity?" Zuck v Musk fight will be live-streamed on 𝕏.All proceeds will go to charity for veterans.— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 6, 2023 It is unclear how...